Daily Update: Missions in T.L. playoffs

San Diego Padres' Jedd Gyorko, right, is greeted by third base coach Glenn Hoffman as he rounds third after hitting a home run in the fourth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2013, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
— AP

San Diego Padres' Jedd Gyorko, right, is greeted by third base coach Glenn Hoffman as he rounds third after hitting a home run in the fourth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a baseball game Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2013, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
/ AP

Riding an 18-game run of excellent starting pitching, the Double-A San Antonio Missions became the first Padres affiliate to qualify for post-season play Wednesday night with a 6-5 win over Frisco.

The Missions lead the Texas League’s South Division by two games over Corpus Christi with 12 games to go. The Missions will open the playoffs against Corpus Christi on Sept. 4 and will host the possible decisive fifth game if they win the South title.

San Antonio starting pitchers have combined 1.09 earned run average over the past 18 games – allowing 12 earned runs in 99 1/3 innings.

A look at the recent results of the San Antonio rotation:

Right-hander Matt Wisler: 4-0 over his last five starts with a 0.67 ERA. He has allowed two runs on 12 hits and five walks with 32 strikeouts in 27 innings.

Right-hander Donn Roach: 2-1 over his last three starts with a 0.60 ERA. He has allowed two runs (one earned) on seven hits and a walk in 15 innings with seven strikeouts.

Left-hander Juan Pablo Oramas: 1-0 over his last three starts with a 1.15 ERA. He has allowed two runs on 11 hits and three walks in 15 2/3 innings with 18 strikeouts. Oramas returned earlier this season from “Tommy John” surgery in 2012.

Veteran right-hander Josh Geer, who allowed one run on six hits over six innings Wednesday, is 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA over his last three starts. He has allowed six runs (three earned) on 18 hits and three walks with 12 strikeouts in 18 innings.

Right-handed knuckleballer Eddie Bonine is 3-1 over his last six starts with a 2.36 ERA. He has allowed 14 runs (11 earned) on 28 hits and 10 walks over 42 innings.

Designated hitter Tommy Medica was 2-for-4 Wednesday with a three-run homer and four RBIs.

The Daily Five:

--Second baseman Jedd Gyorko’s 14 homers ties him with Melvin Nieves (1995) as the fifth-most ever by a Padres rookie. First baseman Nate Colbert holds the Padres rookie record with 24 homers in 1969. Third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff (2007) and Benito Santiago (1987) are tied for second with 18 apiece. Shortstop Khalil Greene hit 15 in 2004. Gyorko, who has six homers in his past 17 games, reached his total despite missing a month with a groin strain.

--Outfielder Will Venable has hit safely in 17 of his last 18 games and is hitting .348 (39-for-112) since the All-Star break. His average since the break is the 10th-highest in the National League. He has 12 extra-base hits in August (five doubles, two triples, five home runs), which is tied for the second-highest total in the National League for the month.

--Logan Forsythe’s second three-hit game of the season Wednesday raised his total for the past five games to 7-for-14. That has raised his batting average from a season-low of .203 on Aug. 16 to .228. Forsythe improved his career batting average against the Pirates to .455 (10-for-22) for 10 games. His average and .539 on-base percentage are his best marks against any major league team.